The American Psychological Association (APA) lauds the release of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform's action agenda, Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis, designed to help the federal government transform the delivery of mental health services.
The Campaign's announcement comes on the heels of a complementary plan issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) entitled, Transforming Mental Health Care in America, issued on July 22.
“Both the Campaign for Mental Health Reform and SAMHSA are to be congratulated for taking positive steps toward improving the nation's mental health care system,” says Norman B. Anderson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the APA. “When implemented, these plans will enable people with mental health disorders to receive more timely and more appropriate care coordinated within a workable mental health service delivery system. Our Association looks forward to working with the Campaign and SAMHSA to help make this mental health initiative a reality. ”
Both the Campaign and SAMHSA plans are in response to the 2003 final report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health which recommended transformation of the quality and efficiency of mental health services. President Bush established the Commission in April 2002 as part of his New Freedom Initiative to eliminate inequality for Americans with disabilities, charging it with the first comprehensive study of the nation's public and private mental health service delivery system since President Carter's 1978 Mental Health Commission 25 years ago.